2021 Drive-By Light-Up launch highlights Summerland's big Christmas weekend

The Christmas season kicked off Saturday night in Summerland with the first of three "Shop Local Saturdays" in the downtown core and the official premier of the "2021 Drive-By Light-Up."

And yesterday, it was the latter that grabbed the most attention. Devised in 2020 by Summerland resident Paul Biro while COVID shut down virtually every other event on the calendar, the Drive-By Light-Up was intended as a safe way for the community to get together (in their individual vehicles) to enjoy a shared experience (viewing home-owner and business Christmas lighting displays).

By 7:30 pm Saturday night, a half-hour past the scheduled start time, the streets, especially those in the most heavily decorated neighbourhoods, were packed with cars and trucks.

A number of drivers wished us a Merry Christmas from their windows as we photographed homes, and several indicated they were indeed following the event map, available here.

The heaviest action we could see, and deservedly so, came on a cul-de-sac a half-kilometer south of downtown named Beavis Place.

Perhaps half the approximately 20 homes on the street were decorated well beyond the norm. And of those, several were upper echelon stuff.

One of the most obvious was Ron Smith's abode at 10102 Beavis Place. But beyond the ornaments and lights was Smith himself, dressed convincingly as Santa and greeting visitors with a shake of the sleighbells in his right hand.

"I've lived here 30 years," said Smith. "And my lovely neighbor across the street who worked for the city, one day said, 'Hey, let's get some lights on this street, Ron.'

"So that's what started it, back in 1990. We do it every year."

According to Smith, the number and the quality of displays on Beavis have "ebbed and flowed in past years." But this year, he said, "I think it's the most fantastic it’s ever looked as far as the number of houses involved and the different themes."

Smith has also played the role of Santa for various city programs, and today (Sunday) will be on the scene at the Santa Skate at Summerland Arena.

"We do this for the kids, and there's a lot of kids in all of us," he said, with a Claus-like twinkle in his eye. "So we hope everyone comes out and enjoys it. I always suggest people just come out and park and watch. It's something we all need these days."

We left Santa Smith behind and zipped through town, driving past the official route starting point on Quinpool Road and stopping for more pics at side-by side addresses on Prairie Valley Road.

We steered clear of steep, remote hills as yesterday's snow was now freezing up, making for some tough driving conditions. But our final neighbourhood, Trout Creek, was well worth the time. Here, as usual, there's no shortage of magnificent displays.

This year, we opted to stop at an address across Hwy 97 from Trout Creek, a hidden gem tucked away between the orchards at 5618 Fir Ave.

Here, homeowner Jeff Plant came out to greet us as he did when we last visited in 2018. Plant and family have created their awesome Christmas spectacle each of the five years they've lived there.

"I own an event company," he confided last night, "So years ago an event went out of businesses, and I bought a couple of container loads of equipment from them. And amongst all this equipment were all these tubs of Christmas lights.

"I had just one string of lights up at the time. And my wife said she'd love to do more. So I pulled them out and started doing this."

Plant said it takes him just short of a couple of days each year to install everything. But he seems to enjoy it, which is great news for those of us who soak it in.

Earlier in the evening we dropped by participating downtown retailer BeadTrails Experience to get a feel for the first day of Shop Local Saturdays.

Developed in lieu of the amazing Festival of Lights, canceled yet again due to the pandemic, the program runs three consecutive Saturdays (Dec. 4, Dec. 11 and Dec 18), furnishing the downtown core with seasonal perks like caroling, Christmas-y characters, holiday nibblies, and entertainment.

Yesterday, we learned, was a solid kick-off. But much more is expected when Shop Local Saturdays extend into the evenings (7 pm), beginning next weekend.

"We had nothing going on at all last year," said BeadTrails owner Karen Griggs. "so this is nice. It wasn't huge today, but I think it will be on the 11th and 18th for late-night shopping."

BeadTrails event planner Kerri Kjemhus believes people are seeking out local shopping this year.

"They're going to Penticton and Summerland and to all the local fairs. But not everyone can get out in the afternoon, so having the evening hours in the next couple of weeks is even better."

Also ongoing is the socially-distanced, temporary replacement for Bottleneck Drive's winery-centric "Light up the Vines" Christmas program, the "Winter Series."

Two weekends are already done for 2021, but the third and final event will unfold next weekend (Dec 10 & 11) at select region wineries, cideries and distilleries.

For more info on Bottleneck Drive's Winter Series, go here. To learn more about Shop Local Saturdays and of course the wonderful Drive-By Light-up, which will continue right through Christmas, go here.